Teasing Master Takagi-san Manga Volumes: Full Guide

If you’ve been wondering how many Teasing Master Takagi-san manga volumes there are, what the reading experience is actually like, or whether you need the manga if you’ve already seen the anime — you’re in the right place. The series is 20 volumes long, it’s complete, and all 20 books are available in English right now. This is one of the most purely enjoyable romantic comedies in manga, and below you’ll find a complete rundown of the series before you start reading.

Complete Series Overview — All 20 Takagi-san Manga Volumes

Teasing Master Takagi-san — the Japanese title is からかい上手の高木さん, which you’ll sometimes see printed on the cover — is a romantic comedy manga written and illustrated by Sōichirō Yamamoto (山本崇一朗 in Japanese). It was originally published chapter by chapter starting in June 2013, initially in Shogakukan’s Monthly Shōnen Sunday Mini supplement (commonly called Gessan mini), before moving to the main Monthly Shōnen Sunday (Gessan) in July 2016. Shogakukan is one of Japan’s largest publishers, and Monthly Shōnen Sunday is a monthly anthology magazine where multiple manga series run side by side. The series wrapped up in October 2023. Across that run, the manga produced 314 chapters collected into 20 volumes — meaning each physical book gathers roughly 15–16 chapters together.

The premise is beautifully simple. Two middle school students — Takagi and Nishikata — sit next to each other in class. Takagi constantly teases Nishikata with playful pranks, mind games, and sly comments. Nishikata, flustered and competitive, desperately tries to get her back — and fails almost every single time. Underneath all the teasing, though, there’s genuine affection building between them, and that gradual romantic tension is the heart of the entire series. If you’ve heard the term “slow-burn” used to describe a romance — it means the relationship develops very gradually over a long stretch, with small moments building on each other rather than big dramatic confessions — that’s exactly what Takagi-san does, and it does it better than almost anything else in the genre.

The English edition is published by Yen Press, one of the major licensed manga publishers in North America, so this is the official English translation. All 20 volumes are available right now in both print and digital. The final volume — Vol. 20 — released in English on March 25, 2025, so the complete series is fully accessible for English-speaking readers. No waiting for future volumes, no catching up to Japan’s release schedule. The whole story is here.

Bottom line: 20 volumes, 314 chapters, one complete story from start to finish.

How the Series Is Structured — Episodes, Not Arcs

One thing that makes Takagi-san different from most manga — especially most romance manga — is that it’s almost entirely episodic. Each chapter is a self-contained scenario. There are no traditional multi-chapter story arcs (that is, no ongoing storylines that stretch across many chapters with a clear beginning, middle, and end), no dramatic cliffhangers at the end of a volume, and very few plotlines that carry across chapters.

Instead, each chapter presents a situation — a test at school, a walk home, a summer festival, a rainy day — and within that situation, Takagi finds a way to tease Nishikata. The chapter resolves, and the next one starts fresh with a new scenario.

This might sound repetitive on paper, but here’s what makes it work: the romantic progression is real. It’s very slow, yes, but it’s there — and importantly, it feels rewarding chapter by chapter rather than frustrating. You’re not waiting dozens of volumes for a single payoff moment. Instead, nearly every chapter gives you a small, satisfying beat — a blush, a near-confession, a moment where Takagi’s composure slips just a little. Early chapters establish the teasing dynamic as pure comedy. As you move through the volumes, small moments of vulnerability start to appear. Nishikata’s reactions shift. Takagi’s teasing takes on different shades. By the final volumes, the emotional weight of hundreds of small moments adds up to something surprisingly powerful.

The episodic structure also means you can pick up a volume and read a few chapters casually without needing to remember where a plot left off. But reading in order rewards you with the full experience of watching these two characters grow closer, chapter by chapter.

Early Volumes (Vols. 1–5) — Establishing the Dynamic

The first five volumes are all about setting up the formula and making you fall in love with it. You meet Takagi, who is effortlessly clever and always seems to know exactly what Nishikata is thinking. You meet Nishikata, who is earnest, stubborn, and hilariously bad at reading the situation.

Takagi’s feelings for Nishikata are hinted at right from the start — perceptive readers will catch the signs early. Nishikata, meanwhile, is completely oblivious. He interprets everything through the lens of their rivalry, never considering that maybe Takagi teases him because she likes him.

The chapters in this phase explore classic school-life scenarios: studying for tests, walking to and from school, summer break activities, festival visits. The tone is consistently light, comedic, and endlessly charming. Each chapter follows a similar rhythm — setup, teasing escalation, Nishikata’s failed counterattack, and a punchline that usually involves Takagi smiling knowingly — but the variations in scenario and the sharpness of the writing keep it feeling fresh.

These volumes are the foundation. If the dynamic clicks for you here, you’re going to love the entire series.

Middle Volumes (Vols. 6–14) — Deepening the Connection

The middle stretch of the series is where Takagi-san quietly transforms from “fun episodic comedy” to “something that tugs at your heart.”

The teasing formula stays intact — Takagi still wins almost every exchange, and Nishikata still vows to get her back next time. But the texture of their interactions starts to change. Moments of genuine emotional vulnerability appear more frequently. A chapter that starts as a standard teasing setup might end with a beat of unexpected sincerity. Takagi occasionally lets her guard down just enough to show what she’s really feeling, and those moments land harder because the comedy has earned your investment.

Nishikata, too, starts to evolve during this phase. His reactions become more flustered in a way that suggests he’s beginning to recognize — even if he won’t admit it — that his feelings toward Takagi go beyond simple rivalry. He gets embarrassed in ways that aren’t just about losing a contest. He starts caring about what Takagi thinks of him.

Seasonal events and holiday-themed chapters add romantic atmosphere to the mix. Summer fireworks, Valentine’s Day, Christmas — these familiar settings give the manga natural opportunities to push the emotional tension a little higher.

Supporting classmates also get more spotlight during these volumes. Brief side stories featuring Nishikata’s friends and other students in the class add variety and give the world a little more depth, though the focus always returns to the central duo.

Late Volumes (Vols. 15–20) — The Payoff

This is where the series delivers on 314 chapters of buildup.

The romantic tension that has been simmering for the entire run reaches its peak in the final stretch. Both Takagi and Nishikata are forced to confront what they actually mean to each other, and the series handles this payoff with the same warmth and gentleness that defined the entire journey.

If you’ve spent dozens of hours reading these two tease and dodge and blush and deny, the emotional resolution in the final volumes is genuinely satisfying. The ending ties together the slow-burn promise of the series — it respects the patience of readers who stuck with the episodic format and trusted that the relationship was going somewhere real.

Volume 20 is the final volume, and it completes the story. No loose threads, no sequel-bait ending. The manga wraps up the way it should.

What Makes Takagi-san Worth Reading Across All 20 Volumes

There’s a reason this series resonated with so many readers, and it comes down to a few things that set it apart — especially if you’re deciding whether 20 volumes is worth the commitment.

No unnecessary drama. There are no love triangles. No rival characters threatening to break up the central pair. No melodramatic misunderstandings that drag on for volumes. The series is laser-focused on Takagi and Nishikata’s dynamic, and it trusts that this single relationship is compelling enough to carry 20 volumes. It is.

The dynamic itself is irresistible. Takagi is always one step ahead — she reads Nishikata like an open book and delights in it. But she’s never mean about it. Her teasing comes from affection, and the reader can feel that warmth from the very first chapter. Nishikata, for his part, is endearing in his stubbornness. You root for both of them — for Takagi to eventually be honest about her feelings, and for Nishikata to finally realize what’s right in front of him.

It’s genuinely wholesome. This is an all-ages manga with absolutely no content concerns. It’s about two kids who like each other and express it through playful competition. If you’re looking for a feel-good read — something that makes you smile and leaves you in a better mood — Takagi-san delivers that consistently across all 20 volumes.

The episodic format is a feature, not a bug. You can read a volume in one sitting or spread it across a week, picking up a chapter here and there. There’s no pressure to remember complex plot points. Each chapter is a complete, satisfying little story. This makes it a great series for casual reading sessions — before bed, on a commute, during a break.

Manga vs. Anime — Where the Adaptations Differ

Takagi-san has a well-regarded anime adaptation that spans three seasons and a film, covering material from across the manga volumes. If you’ve watched the anime, you might be wondering whether the manga is worth reading too. Short answer: yes.

The anime does a great job of bringing the series to life. It adds original music performances and musical cues that enhance the romantic atmosphere, and it expands some scenes with fluid animation that highlights the characters’ expressions. The voice acting adds another dimension to the teasing dynamic that the manga obviously can’t replicate.

However, the manga’s episodic nature means the anime rearranges chapter order freely, pulling from different volumes to construct each episode’s flow. The experience of reading the chapters in their original published order gives you a slightly different sense of the relationship’s progression.

More importantly, the manga contains the complete story, including the ending. The anime does not cover the full run of the series — significant portions of the later volumes, including the conclusion, are only available in the manga. If you want to see how Takagi and Nishikata’s story concludes — and after watching the anime, you probably do — the manga is where you’ll find it.

For anime fans jumping into the manga, the transition is smooth. The art is clean and expressive, the page compositions are easy to follow (each page is divided into panels — rectangular frames that show the action — and Yamamoto keeps them uncluttered and readable), and the comedic timing on the page is excellent. You’ll recognize the characters immediately, and the manga’s tone matches the anime’s warmth perfectly.

If you haven’t seen the anime and are coming in fresh — don’t worry. The manga stands completely on its own. You don’t need any anime background to enjoy the full series.

Which Edition to Buy — Teasing Master Takagi-san Manga Volumes

The English volumes of Teasing Master Takagi-san are published by Yen Press in a standard paperback size that’s typical for manga — slightly smaller and narrower than a regular novel. These are individual volumes — one English volume corresponds to one Japanese volume — for a total of 20 books.

All 20 volumes are currently available and in print, meaning they’re actively being produced and sold (you won’t run into out-of-stock issues from the series being discontinued). The series is complete in English as of March 2025, so you can collect the entire run right now without waiting for future releases.

Digital editions are also available for readers who prefer reading on a tablet or phone. You can find them on major digital bookstores and manga platforms.

As of now, there are no omnibus editions for this series in English. An omnibus is a larger book that collects multiple volumes into one — some manga series offer them as a more affordable way to collect a long run, but Takagi-san doesn’t have this option. Each volume is sold individually, so collecting the whole series means 20 separate books. The good news is that standard manga volumes are compact and the full set doesn’t take up an enormous amount of shelf space.

For readers who want to start with just a taste before committing, grabbing the first volume is the obvious move. The episodic format means Volume 1 gives you a very accurate preview of what the rest of the series feels like. If you enjoy it, you can keep going at whatever pace feels right — there’s no urgency since the series is complete and all volumes are available.

One more thing worth knowing: a spin-off manga called Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san — sometimes referred to as “Former Teasing Master Takagi-san” — exists, drawn by Mifumi Inaba. It follows Takagi and Nishikata as a married couple raising their daughter Chi. However, as of this writing, the spin-off’s English availability is limited — it does not currently have an English license — it is only available in Japanese. It would be a natural companion read for fans of the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many volumes of Teasing Master Takagi-san are there?

There are 20 volumes in both the Japanese and English editions. The series is complete — no additional volumes are forthcoming.

Is the manga finished?

Yes. The manga ended its serialization in Japan in October 2023 after running since June 2013. The final English volume (Vol. 20) was released on March 25, 2025. The story is fully concluded.

Who publishes Teasing Master Takagi-san in English?

Yen Press publishes the English edition. All 20 volumes are currently available in both print and digital formats.

Should I read the manga if I watched the anime?

Yes — and not just because the manga contains the complete story including the ending, which the anime doesn’t reach. The reading experience is different from watching the anime. The manga’s original chapter order gives you a distinct sense of how the relationship evolves, and the pacing of reading individual chapters at your own speed creates a more intimate connection with the characters’ small moments. If you enjoyed the anime even a little, the manga is well worth your time.

I haven’t seen the anime — can I just read the manga?

Absolutely. The manga is the original version of the story, and it stands completely on its own. You don’t need any familiarity with the anime to enjoy it. Start with Volume 1 and go from there.